1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a configuration of an image recording device for recording an image on a recording medium by reciprocally actuating a carriage on which a recording head of an inkjet-type, or the like, is mounted.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a variety of image recording devices of a type, in which a carriage with a recording head mounted thereon is supported so as to be able to perform reciprocal travel along a main scanning direction, have been devised. For instance, as disclosed in JP-A-7-061084, in a conventional image recording device, a round-shaft-like guide shaft, which is disposed horizontally on the device main body, penetrates through a bearing portion of the carriage, thereby being slidably supported.
In JP-A-7-061084, contrivance has been put to elimination of rattling resulting from a gap between a bearing portion of a carriage and a guide shaft, and has adopted the following configuration. To this end, a drive pulley, which is attached to a drive shaft of a drive motor, and a tension pulley on a follower side are disposed with an appropriate clearance therebetween in the main scanning direction. A carriage belt is wrapped around the drive pulley and the tension pulley, parallel to a round-shaft-shaped guide shaft; and a portion of the carriage belt is connected to the carriage. Here, a component force of a tension exerted from the carriage belt at this time is caused to act on the carriage in a direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction.
However, since the guide shaft passes through the bearing portion of the carriage, when the carriage is removed from the guide shaft for maintenance or replacement, the guide shaft must first be removed from the frame, and subsequently the carriage must be further removed from the guide shaft; and for assembly of the same, the reverse procedure must be performed, thereby posing considerable difficulty in attachment of the carriage. In addition, the drive pulley and the tension pulley must be attached to another frame different from that of the guide shaft. Accordingly, the structure is complicated, and an attempt to miniaturize the device has encountered difficulty.
A document JP-A-2002-254746 discloses an image recording device which, in order to curtail cost, does not use an expensive round guide shaft, and supports a carriage through use of two carriage guide plates assuming the shape of a metal plate. Specifically, a first carriage guide plate having a Z-shaped cross-sectional profile is formed at an arbitrary vertical point on a main frame standing upright, by means of cutting, and pulling up the cut portion. A first guide section downwardly projecting from one lower surface of the carriage is brought into contact with and slidably supported on the upper surface of the horizontal first position regulation plate. A third guide section projecting laterally from a lower portion of the carriage so as to face the lower surface (slide surface) of a first guide section is caused to face the lower surface of the first position regulation plate.
A portion projecting into a downwardly-facing U-lettered shape from a rear area of the carriage is provided with a pair of second guide sections such that both surfaces of a second position regulation plate bent upwardly from the tip end of the first position regulation plate are sandwiched between the pair of second guide sections.
A lower surface (slide surface) of a fourth guide section projecting downward from the other lower surface of the carriage is brought into contact (slidable contact) with a third position regulation surface (upper surface) of the second horizontal carriage guide plate. A portion of an unillustrated endless belt is coupled to a belt-receiving section provided at the rear end of the carriage, thereby enabling the carriage to reciprocally travel in the main scanning direction.